MBC--Small Printer, Big Performance

There are many unique things about Metro Business Connection (MBC), a small Minnesota instant printer. Take, for instance, its name. Unlike many print shops, the name Metro Business Connection does not connote anything to do with printing. Its work force and location—three employees working out of a separate 1,000-square-foot shop beside the owner’s home—are not necessarily the norm.

But in its seven years of existence, MBC has grown to enjoy its remarkable success due to the quality and service the company offers.

“We’re very service-oriented,” says Neil Stromme, vice president, who operates the shop along with his wife Sarah, president, and a third employee. “Whatever the customer wants, we deliver. We take a job at noon and deliver it at 4 p.m. We’ll work until midnight if we have to. And if we can’t print the job, we’ll tell the customer that as well. We’re very honest.”

And very high quality. MBC’s statewide customers—corporations needing letterhead and brochures, and large magazine publishers seeking two-color inserts and blow-in cards—require tight registration of their two-color jobs.

To that end, MBC installed a new A.B. Dick 9810 with a new Townsend Anniversary Edition (AE) T-51 color head. The new press, installed in December 1997, joined an existing A.B. Dick 9810 with an older model T-head.

“The main reason we installed another T-head was because of the volume of two-color jobs,” says Stromme. “The older T-head was always backed up with work, while our single-color press sat idle.”

Stromme was impressed with many aspects of the new T-51. “I like the ability to raise and lower the image on the fly,” he says. “If you have plate skew, you can change it without stopping by dialing in the correct register. Plus, the new T-head saves on makeready. Now, with run lengths getting shorter, I can save a lot on time and paper waste with 25 orders of 150 to 1,000 two-color runs. I might only waste five to 10 sheets with the new AE T-51 and save countless hours.”